Jerusalem procession marks Easter

JERUSALEM - Thousands of Christians gathered near Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher for Easter Saturday and marched in processions brimming with tradition, taking turns to pray in the site where they believe Jesus was slain and buried.

Easter Saturday is a day of reflection and waiting for many Christians, who believe Jesus was crucified on Friday and arose from the dead on Sunday.

"This day is very important for us. It's the waiting for the great celebration of the resurrection," said the Rev. Ibrahim Shomali, a Palestinian Christian priest from nearby Beit Jala.

Thousands marched through Jerusalem's old city Saturday morning.

They were led by costumed Palestinian guards who pounded their staffs on the cobblestones, providing a beat for believers to march. The guards - known in Arabic as Qawwasin, or "Marksmen" - are a vestige from when Ottoman Muslims ruled the Holy Land.

The Qawwasin were originally charged with protecting Jerusalem's Catholic patriarch. Now their role is ceremonial.

The believers gathered to pray in the Holy Sepulcher, which many Christians believe was built on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried.

Catholic and Protestant groups that observe the Gregorian calendar took turns praying in the Holy Sepulcher on Saturday.

Eastern Orthodox churches and others who follow the older Julian calendar will mark Easter a week from now.